A blog about Western North Carolina outdoor recreation opportunities and mountain culture. Including live music, gardening, fly fishing, hiking, biking, backpacking, whitewater rafting, crafting and more! We love it all!

Monday, June 11, 2012

If you're in Robbinsville, NC, you'll find the best locally roasted coffee and handmade pottery around at Coffee & Clay. She's located in the Village Shopping Center on Rodney Orr Bypass across from El Pacifico Mexican Restaurant. While enjoying your blackberry cobbler latte, you can browse local art, pottery, jewelry, and more! A great little place to stop.

We love to run. Until a little injury last fall, we were loving running everything from 5Ks to half marathons. We're getting back into race condition as the weather warms up. Here are some race lists in WNC to inspire us all to register and get back out there!

Speaking of Running - what about trail running? I have a few favorite places and I'll tell you about some of them - some are secret ;-)

Tsali is one of my favorite places to run. Period. Steep climbs are worth it when you get to run along Fontana Lake and possibly see some wildlife. The famous mountain-biking area alternates the days that bikes are allowed on trails, so always run a trail without bikes so you don't risk being run over. Here are the trail maps. More Tsali info here. How do you pronounce Tsali? Say "solly"

Also, I just have to plug my awesome blue shoes. I LOVE them. I ran my first half marathon in them sock-free after having them about 2 weeks. Very light and minimalist, but good for pronators. I have worn nothing but Brooks shoes for running for about 5 years and I'm in love!
Check 'em out!

If you're in Western North Carolina, you have to stop in at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, an old schoolhouse turned gallery/concert house/restaurant.

Here's the schedule for An Appalachian Evening Concert Series. I highly recommend Balsam Range - I have seen them live several times and they always put on a good show! I also really love the Kruger Brothers - they are talented and hilarious between songs. I haven't seen all the bands that play at SVC, but I've never seen a bad show there. The theater is air-conditioned and refreshments are available. Bring a cushion or rent one when you arrive - the beautifully refinished seats are original to the building! Purchase Tickets here!

It's been a while! But we're trying to get back in the habit of posting. It's hard when the weather is so nice and we want to be outside. Then, we get home and forget to share it. Oops.

Last week we camped on the island in Lake Santeetlah. It's a great spot for taking the dogs, as we don't have to worry that they will disappear into the woods after a raccoon. In the map below, you can see the island near the middle of the map. We put in a the Santeetlah Marina, and it's a five minute pontoon ride. We have also camped near the island and paddled our canoe from the Marina. It's very doable if you don't mind to paddle for a nice spot.

If you don't have a boat, you can rent one at the Santeetlah Marina. Also, there are lakefront sites that do not require a boat. Look at the top of the map and you'll see campsites scattered along the roadside. If you like creekside instead, check out Horse Cove and Rattler Ford. You'll find a little bit of info about those campgrounds here.